


Smile

by gelandspray



Series: Lay It All Down [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Trans, Trans Character, Trans Male Character, Transgender
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 10:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1741112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelandspray/pseuds/gelandspray
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their first date isn't what Kurt expects...but that doesn't mean it's bad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Smile

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Fill: First Date  
> For [Klaine Bingo](http://www.klainebingo.tumblr.com)

Kurt: _I can do Friday night, if you’re available._

It takes Kurt at least half an hour to write that text.

He realizes this is completely ridiculous considering he was pretty much guaranteed a date since Blaine said their first date would take place when Kurt texted him. Nevertheless, constructing that text seems like a high order. He isn’t very versed in first text protocol. The only other time he’d texted someone in a romantic fashion had been when he gave his phone number to Chandler, but Chandler sent the first text and they never ended up really doing much of anything. Flirting occurred for a few days but the novelty fizzled out quickly as Chandler’s store of compliments grew smaller and smaller without anything else to fill the space and then the texts simply came to a close. Kurt likes compliments as much as the next person, but he needs substance. Blaine has substance, or at least Kurt thinks so based on their coffee outing.

It only takes Blaine a couple minutes to respond.

Blaine: _Sounds great! I’m in my piano class until 5 pm, so how about 6?_

Kurt: _Okay. 6 is good._

Six o’clock is perfect actually. Kurt had ended up getting in touch with Unique the day he met Blaine, who complimented Kurt’s hopeless romantic side as she complimented the romanticism of the situation. Rachel, however, still has no idea there is a Blaine. She hasn’t had a reason to ask and Kurt hasn’t much wanted to tell her – for many reasons. Thankfully, Rachel has to work at the diner Friday night, so she will be gone before Blaine shows up and won’t be asking him a million and one questions he doesn’t know the answer to. _What are his credits? What is his dream? What are his exes like? Do you think he is the one? Do you think he will be famous?_ And last but not least: _Are you going to tell him?_

He doesn’t know. He’ll figure it out, though – eventually.

In the meantime, Unique gave him some ideas for what he might wear and Kurt is excited to dive into his as of yet unexplored date night outfit ideas. He spends the next couple days bouncing around ideas for outfits that balance the concepts he is going for, accommodates the aspects he wants to include, and takes the weather into consideration. Sometimes, he has the urge to text Blaine for more details, but sometimes fewer details are actually more fun and Kurt wants to have fun with his date preparation since it counteracts any anxiety he might be feeling. After all, if Kurt Hummel knows anything, it’s how to dress. It’s a comfort to have a good eye.

Blaine does not disappoint on his part either. He was well dressed when they met, but that could have been a fluke. However, when he shows up at the established time, he looks just as good – though, he could afford to take some pointers from Kurt, but that could come with time.

“Am I allowed to ask what the plan is,” Kurt asks as he grabs his jacket and keys before sliding the loft door closed.

“I don’t know,” Blaine teases, “Are you good with surprises?”

“Sometimes,” Kurt admits coyly.

“Let’s hope this is one of those times then, shall we?” Blaine asks with a laugh and Kurt can’t get over Blaine’s wide and honest grin. It’s the type of smile so genuine and open it almost makes Kurt flinch, so he simply nods. 

They end up in Chinatown, which is cliché New York, but Kurt hasn’t been there and it is sort of romantic to walk around a new area with a potential romance, especially watching Blaine meandering so comfortably and yet so in awe. Kurt should be similarly taking in his surroundings, but, as he found out when first walking beside Blaine, he has a remarkably expressive face, especially with those eyebrows and it’s interesting to experience the world through Blaine’s eyes. Ordinarily, a date is expected to take place with a lot of interaction between the two people, but Kurt is happy to watch. Blaine fits into vibrant environments, whether Time Square or Chinatown. Kurt is sure it would be easy to pick Blaine out of a crowd.

Blaine winds expertly through the streets, slipping past crowds of people deftly while never leaving Kurt behind. Every so often, Blaine looks back at Kurt and he has to school his expression away from keenly observing to calmly smiling. Eventually, Blaine leads him to a Vietnamese restaurant and, after he holds the door open for Kurt, they take a seat at a booth with Blaine simply sweetly waving at an employee.

“You seem pretty familiar around here,” Kurt says leadingly – a hopefully acceptable, attempted variation on “So you come here often?”

“This place is great. I’ve sort of become a food expert since moving to New York,” Blaine explains bashfully.

“You’ve only been in New York since the beginning of the semester, right?”

“Well, Sam and I moved a little earlier because he’s trying to make it as a model, so I’ve had some time to get to know the city – mostly the food, particularly cronuts.”

“I’ve been here a year and a half and still don’t really know any restaurants. I only really know the diner I work at and where to get a good cheesecake,” Kurt admits.

“Which diner?”

“Spotlight. I’m a singing waiter, basically – well, whenever my roommate Rachel isn’t working.”

“Oh, yeah! You told me you’re on the musical theater track at NYADA. That’s amazing. I’d love to hear you sing,” Blaine confesses.

Kurt can’t help but blush. “What is your track? I never asked,” he diverts.

“Performing.”

“What does that entail?” Kurt asks curiously. For some reason, it never struck him to think that NYADA would have other areas. When Ms. Pillsbury (or maybe Schuester now – Kurt isn’t sure and doesn’t want to assume) told them that NYADA is number one in musical theater, Kurt didn’t think any farther than that – didn’t need to.

“It shares some classes with musical theater, but it is less tailored towards Broadway and more towards being a concert performer. Basically, there is the acting track on one side, musical theater in the middle and then performing on the other side. So, same choreography courses, but not all the annunciation or acting type stuff.”

“Seems like a good fit based off your performance the other day,” Kurt commented, shooting Blaine a shy look over his menu. He gets the reaction he was looking for when Blaine blushes and ducks his head.

“Thank you. Sam just needed a pick-me-up,” he explains.

“That’s my kind of pick-me-up.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you might be prone to breaking out in song,” Blaine laughs.

“Probably not.”

Blaine helps him figure out what to order, but they end up sharing a lot of the food, ordering more when some runs out and then getting to-go boxes before emerging back into the world of Chinatown. If someone had asked Kurt if he thought a date in Chinatown was a good idea, he would have said no, but he can’t helped but be charmed by a boy who shows him something new like an expert, who takes him somewhere new, treats him to dinner, and, when leaving the restaurant, tentatively knocks his hand against Kurt’s and not-so-sneakily steals looks at Kurt until Kurt finally takes his hand and laces their fingers together and Blaine’s smile is not as blinding but just as beautiful.

He feels Blaine’s hand steady and firm in his, shifts himself closer to Blaine, and watches him point to things and tell him anecdotes of his trips to Chinatown as they make their way back, presumably so they can end their date where they started it. He listens to Blaine talk about the time he brought Sam to Chinatown to try out some food and how Sam barely ate and then stopped at a hotdog cart on the way home and Blaine was appalled. Blaine also talks about how he must look like a sucker, because the little old ladies have repeatedly convinced him to buy things – knick-knacks and whatnot – and eventually Sam threw a one-man intervention by assembling all the items across their couch, so he swore not to buy anything in Chinatown that he didn’t eat before he got home.

And Kurt was laughing and smiling so hard his cheeks hurt – though, unfortunately, they are almost home.

“You got repeatedly swindled by grandmas?!” Kurt laughs.

While Blaine maintains that “they were so nice!”

“When you’re famous, I’m going to tell everyone that the kryptonite for the great Blaine Anderson is senior citizens,” Kurt retorts. “The elderly will be lining up for your autograph – some for themselves, some for their grandkids, and some to auction on eBay with the description: ‘It was like taking candy from a baby!’”

“Harsh!” Blaine exclaims.

“All is fair in an eBay auction,” Kurt explains with a shrug.

“Are you going to be participating in this auctioning?”

“Am I going to get an autograph?” Kurt gasps. “Aren’t I a little young for you?”

“I’ll make an exception,” Blaine promises, raising their interlocked hands to kiss the back of Kurt’s.

“Little ol’ me?” Kurt mock-asked, swaying to look between Blaine and the steps leading up to his apartment building.

“Kurt?” Blaine whispers.

Blaine’s sudden shift in tone stops Kurt in his rotation and Blaine pivots to face him with a foreign look of fear in his expression.

“Yeah?” Kurt whispers back.

“Can I kiss you?”

Kurt’s “sure” rushes out of him airily. He watches Blaine’s eyes flash from Kurt’s own down to his lips before he leans in. At first, Kurt has no clue what to do. Regrettably, his only kiss has been the forced kiss Karofsky attacked him with. He’d hoped in the future he’d be a little smoother. Now, he’d had momentary warning and still he hasn’t a clue. But he warms up in a way he hadn’t with Karofsky. He has goose bumps when last time, he’d just had nausea.

Blaine’s lips are soft, not tentative, but comforting in their pressure, kissing hard enough to not be considered meek but careful enough not to be aggressive. He can feel Blaine pulling in a deep breath as if there is suddenly a great vacancy in his chest that he needs to fill and then releasing the breath when he just can’t hold it anymore. Kurt knows how he feels. His chest aches, too.

Finally, he gets it together enough to put his hand on the side of Blaine’s face, which seems to prompt Blaine in turn and he shifts to continue the kiss. Kurt breaks away just long enough to gasp a bit of air and readjust, hearing the smack of lips he’s just caused and it feels _fantastic_.

Kurt hates to see it end.

Kurt Hummel’s first real kiss is _in public_ late night on the streets of New York – granted it’s Bushwick. Kurt dreamed about this in Lima. Even after they part and after Kurt tosses some cursory looks around to see if anyone noticed, he still feels the tingle of a great kiss and a dream come true. He touches his lips with his fingertips delicately. He doesn’t want to end this feeling anytime soon, but he’s wondering if his fingers could feel the shivers too.

He can feel Blaine's eyes searching his face and his face is burning. He should have waited until he got inside. 

"Goodnight, Kurt Hummel," he says as he reaches up to stroke the back of Kurt's hand. 

"Goodnight, Blaine Anderson."

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic based on my personal knowledge of what a transmasculine person’s life might look like, which is to say that not all trans men are like this and not all of them make the same decisions. Also, I chose Kurt, not because I don’t think Blaine can be believed as a transmasculine person, but because I wanted to pay particular attention to what it means to be transmasculine while being effeminate. Thanks!


End file.
